How long horses grow

Many trainers and owners feel strongly about what age it is appropriate to start breaking, riding, or jumping a horse. There are studies that have shown that starting to work a horse while its bones are still developing can have negative consequences for a horse later in its career. The industry most heavily attacked by these findings is the racing industry, where horses are raced at as young as two years old.

It is also commonplace for many European breeders and even some American breeders to be jumping horses as early as three years old and moving up the heights very quickly. Horses have growth plates on every bone in their body, besides their skull. These growth plates can take up to six years to fuse.

Your young horse should be checked by the vet regularly to make sure your horse is growing and developing correctly. Vets can also properly assess whether a specific horse is mature enough in its growth to perform certain tasks or jobs. Every horse is different, and every rider and trainer will make different decisions. You may be wondering if your horse has reached their full size. This question is frequently asked by horse owners. It can be helpful to know for suitability purposes.

Some riders need a tall, broad horse and others want to show in the pony division. Horse trainers need to be careful when starting a youngster. They need to ensure the horse has developed and can handle a training schedule. It is said that most horse breeds reach their final height at four to five years old. They spend an additional two to three years filling out. Some breeds take a bit longer to reach maturity. Horses have growth plates made of cartilage.

After the bones have finished growing, the growth plates fuse and become bone. This makes them stronger and more durable. Horse trainers commonly wait for the knees to be fused before riding. This takes place at two years old. Certain breeds of warmblood and draft types can take even longer to mature than lighter breeds.

A draft horse may still be growing even at eight years old. When the bones have finished growing the growth plates turn into bone, sometimes called fusing, and this makes the bones more durable and less likely to be injured. So can you ride a 2-year-old horse? However, many people now believe that you must wait until the horse is at least 5 before rigorous training and competing is to take place.

I foaled a Friesian sport horse a few years ago and it was an awesome process. When she was a baby I started her with the basics in training like halters and being around people.

As she aged, I started every spring with something new. Although it is rare for damage to the legs, or the growth plates by riding too young it can happen. Precaution is the best practice.

Many horses however that are started too young have problems later in life and will require injections in their joints. This is because the cartilage is ruined and crushed.

As mentioned above contrary to popular belief quarter horses bones will still be maturing into their 5th year and 6th year depending on the horse. Here is a link to an article that proves it link. More often than not a horse will follow in the footsteps of its parents. So when you have a foal look at its characteristics and which does it resemble more its mom or its dad? That will give you some insight into what it will look like and how tall it will get. You can also look at its siblings. They will grow a lot during their first year…they will also be quite gangly looking.

One other sign of height is to look at the legs of the horse. Taller horses generally speaking have longer legs in the first year. As mentioned above, yes, a 3-year-old horse will still continue to grow. You can expect it to still grow some in height as well. I work and run a boarding facility. However, it is really important at this stage to be around the foal as much as possible.

Horses typically reach their emotional maturity between the ages of 5 and 7. It is important to know, however, that each horse is different, and the training that each horse receives is very different as well.